Ben-Hur (1959 movie)
Ben-Hur is an epic movie of the sword and sandal genre released in 1959. It was directed by William Wyler. It stars Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur and Stephen Boyd as Messala. It is set in Ancient Rome and Ancient Judea. It tells of two men - one a Jewish prince and the other a Roman tribune - whose friendship turns to bitter hatred. The climax of the movie is a 9-minute chariot race and the crucifixion of Jesus. The movie won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie is based on the 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Two silent movies on the same subject were made in 1907 and 1925, and another sound movie on the same subject was made in 2016.
| Ben-Hur | |
|---|---|
 Original theatrical poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | William Wyler |
| Produced by | Sam Zimbalist |
| Screenplay by | Karl Tunberg[a] |
| Based on | Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by General Lew Wallace |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Finlay Currie |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Robert L. Surtees |
| Edited by | |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's, Inc.[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 212 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15.2 million[3] |
| Box office | $146.9 million (initial release) |
Cast
- Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur
- Jack Hawkins as Quintus Arrius
- Haya Harareet as Esther
- Stephen Boyd as Messala
- Hugh Griffith as Sheik Ilderim
- Finlay Currie as Balthasar and the narrator
- Frank Thring as Pontius Pilate
- José Greci as the Virgin Mary
Story
The story is about Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince and merchant in Jerusalem at the beginning of the 1st century. Judah's childhood friend Messala returns home as an ambitious commanding officer of the Roman legions. The two men realize that they have changed and hold very different views. During a military parade, a tile falls from the roof of Judah's house. It barely misses the Roman governor. Although Messala knows that they are not guilty, he condemns the Ben-Hur family. Without trial, Judah is sent to the Roman galleys for life; his mother and sister are imprisoned and all the family property is confiscated.
Through good fortune, Judah survives and returns to Jerusalem, where he seeks revenge against his one-time friend and redemption for his family. Running in parallel with Ben-Hur's narrative is the unfolding story of Jesus,[4] who comes from the same region and is a similar age. The two reflect themes of betrayal, conviction and redemption. With the Crucifixion, Ben-Hur recognizes that the Christ stands for a different goal than revenge, and he becomes Christian, turning to supporting the new religion with money which he has inherited, inspired by love and the talk of keys to a greater kingdom than any on earth.
Ben-Hur (1959 Movie) Media
American author Gore Vidal at a party at Vidal's home in Ravello, Italy, circa 1978*en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_mewshaw
Chariot wreckage in Ben-Hur
Lipizzan horses, like this one in Vienna, were used for chariot teams in Ben-Hur.
Haya Harareet promoting the film in Amsterdam in October 1960
Costumes used in Ben-Hur from the 2011 Debbie Reynolds auctions
Charlton Heston and Jack Hawkins's caliga sandal-boots
One of the miniature Roman galleys used in Ben-Hur in 1959
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References
- ↑ "Ben-Hur". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. (Loew's Inc.); Distribution Company: Loew's Inc.
- ↑ "Ben Hur". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ↑ Sheldon Hall, Epics, Spectacles, and Blockbusters: A Hollywood History Wayne State University Press, 2010 p. 162
- ↑ Powell, Allan (1999) Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee. Westminster/John Knox Press p25 ISBN 0-664-25703-8
Notes
- ↑ Although Tunberg received sole credit for the screenplay, Maxwell Anderson, S. N. Behrman, Gore Vidal and Christopher Fry worked on the script in the course of development. See the Writing section for more details.
